Start process to elect Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha: Kharge to PM

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to initiate the process for the election of the Deputy Speaker and reminding him that for the first time in independent India's history, the position has remained vacant for two consecutive Lok Sabha terms.

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In a letter to PM today, Kharge said Article 93 of the Constitution mandates the election of both the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker of the House of the People.

Constitutionally, the Deputy Speaker is the second-highest presiding officer of the House after the Speaker. Article 93 mandates that the House elect two members to these positions as soon as possible, and that a new election be held if either position becomes vacant.

Kharge said traditionally the Deputy Speaker has been elected in the second or third session of a newly constituted Lok Sabha.

"The procedure for this election mirrors that of the Speaker, with the only distinction being that the date for the Deputy Speaker's election is fixed by the Speaker, as per Rule 8(1) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha. From the First to the Sixteenth Lok Sabha, every House has had a Deputy Speaker. By and large, it has been a well-established convention to appoint the Deputy Speaker from among the members of the principal opposition party. However, for the first time in independent India's history, this position has remained vacant for two consecutive Lok Sabha terms," wrote Kharge.

He said no Deputy Speaker was elected during the 17th Lok Sabha, and this concerning precedent continues in the ongoing 18th Lok Sabha.

"This does not augur well for India's democratic polity and is also in violation of well laid out provisions of the Constitution. In view of the foregoing and in keeping with the esteemed traditions of the House and the democratic ethos of our Parliament, I request your good self to initiate the process of electing a Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha without any further delay," said the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.